Here are a few highlights of my day:
-¡RAIN! This is the 1st time that I have seen rain while in the city of Parramos. (and about the 3rd time that I have seen rain while in Gautemala- supposedly it is the rainy season???) I was soooooo happy to see the rain:)
-A "maracuyá" flavored sucker. In English it is "passion fruit" and in Puertorican Spanish it is "parcha". Although this sucker was not mine (I was handed a "cookies and cream one") I still really enjoyed learning that this flavor also exists in Guatemala AND that I can buy it at the local store for 6 cents!!!!
-One of the best highlights of my day was that I talked to Naomi (via facebook)!!! It was really nice to talk to her and it is a bummer that she won't be visiting in Puerto Rico when I get back this time:(
miércoles, 1 de agosto de 2012
martes, 31 de julio de 2012
Guate("My kids"), Days59-62
Friday was another day of school and homework, but I got to go play games with the teens in the transition house at night. We had fun playing games, watching movies, and eating cookies and quenepas!
Saturday was visiting day at the home, so some of the family members of the kids came in the afternoon and a family from church also came to visit. They visit once a month and bring goodie bags for all the kids and a special supper:) I spent the evening with the girls in their house. We make a new version of bagel pizzas and played leap frog!
On Sunday I got to go to church and see all of the families and friends that I know from my December/January trip.
Monday and Tuesday have been really fun days! I went to Santiago (on Lake Atitlan- look it up it is BEAUTIFUL!) I went there to visit an orphanage that has about 25 kids. They run it like a family, so there is a couple as house parents and it just happens that they take care of a ton of kids. They do all their own cooking and cleaning, so it is just like a HUGE family. I really liked the set up and it was something really different than the other homes that l have been in. (I forgot to add that they have 9 babies!!!)
The most exciting event was mopping the floor at 1am. The directors and I had stayed up LATE talking, so we were in the living room and heard water running. We did not have any water in the afternoon, so it appears that when the kids tried to wash dishes after supper they turned on the water, nothing came out, and they did NOT turn off the faucet! So, the kitchen sink overflowed and the entire kitchen and dining room were flooded. So we used brooms and mops and swept the water outside. After that we decided it was time to go to bed.
It was also a really fun and uneventful adventure getting there and back. On Monday morning I left at 7 with the kids. The kids went to school and I went to the plaza to wait for the chicken bus. It was a 2 hour and 20 minute ride to the town of Panajachel. From there I took a tuk-tuk to the boat dock- what a rip off! They charged me Q5 (or about 70cents) for a 2 minute ride- in Guatemala this is expensive the bus trip cost about $4 total. Then I took the boat to the town of Santiago. The boat could have been another rip off, but I was prepared for this one. If you are Guatemalan and dressed in the indigenous Mayan cloting you pay Q15($2) (If you are guatemalan and dressed in american clothing they can charge you more). If you are a tourist you pay Q25($4), but they will try to have you pay more if they think you are a gullible tourist/American . Well, thankfully the directors of the orphanage had warned me that I should not pay more than Q25 and I knew the locals paid less so when the boat driver told me 30 I told him 20. He asked me what I was doing and I told him I was a volunteer in the orphanage and he gave me the ride for 20!!!!! Once I arrived in Santiago the family came to pick me up and they brought me to the orphanage where I stayed the night.
Coming back to Parramos: I left the orphanage around 9:30am and the boat left a little after 11- this time the driver wanted to charge me Q30 and I told him 20, he said 25 but I told him I would not pay that-I was serious- so he let me on for 20!) We got to Panajachel around 11:45 and I decided to walk to the bus stop because I did not want to pay the Q5 for the tuk-tuk since it was such a short ride. By 12:30 I had paid the Q2 to use the bathroom (it is not free here), gotten some snacks to eat on the bus, gotten on the bus, and the bus started on it's way. I arrived in Chimaltenango around 3:00. I had to transfer busses, so I followed all the other Americans and got on a bus for Antigua (I thought that all the busses from Chimaltenango to Antigua would go through my town of Parramos). The bus started to pull away and I thought, Parramos is not this way, it is behind us and to the right. I quickly asked the driver if he was going to Parramos and he said NO! So I just jumped right off the bus! Then I went around the corner and got on the correct bus:) I got to Parramos around 3:30 and I started to walk home and while I was walking one of the boys came and met me. So I got home at 4 in the afternoon.
I have had 2 long days of traveling but it has been wonderful to meet new people and get to see more of Guatemala! And it prepares me for my day of traveling back to PR (in a little over 1 week:)
Saturday was visiting day at the home, so some of the family members of the kids came in the afternoon and a family from church also came to visit. They visit once a month and bring goodie bags for all the kids and a special supper:) I spent the evening with the girls in their house. We make a new version of bagel pizzas and played leap frog!
On Sunday I got to go to church and see all of the families and friends that I know from my December/January trip.
Monday and Tuesday have been really fun days! I went to Santiago (on Lake Atitlan- look it up it is BEAUTIFUL!) I went there to visit an orphanage that has about 25 kids. They run it like a family, so there is a couple as house parents and it just happens that they take care of a ton of kids. They do all their own cooking and cleaning, so it is just like a HUGE family. I really liked the set up and it was something really different than the other homes that l have been in. (I forgot to add that they have 9 babies!!!)
The most exciting event was mopping the floor at 1am. The directors and I had stayed up LATE talking, so we were in the living room and heard water running. We did not have any water in the afternoon, so it appears that when the kids tried to wash dishes after supper they turned on the water, nothing came out, and they did NOT turn off the faucet! So, the kitchen sink overflowed and the entire kitchen and dining room were flooded. So we used brooms and mops and swept the water outside. After that we decided it was time to go to bed.
It was also a really fun and uneventful adventure getting there and back. On Monday morning I left at 7 with the kids. The kids went to school and I went to the plaza to wait for the chicken bus. It was a 2 hour and 20 minute ride to the town of Panajachel. From there I took a tuk-tuk to the boat dock- what a rip off! They charged me Q5 (or about 70cents) for a 2 minute ride- in Guatemala this is expensive the bus trip cost about $4 total. Then I took the boat to the town of Santiago. The boat could have been another rip off, but I was prepared for this one. If you are Guatemalan and dressed in the indigenous Mayan cloting you pay Q15($2) (If you are guatemalan and dressed in american clothing they can charge you more). If you are a tourist you pay Q25($4), but they will try to have you pay more if they think you are a gullible tourist/American . Well, thankfully the directors of the orphanage had warned me that I should not pay more than Q25 and I knew the locals paid less so when the boat driver told me 30 I told him 20. He asked me what I was doing and I told him I was a volunteer in the orphanage and he gave me the ride for 20!!!!! Once I arrived in Santiago the family came to pick me up and they brought me to the orphanage where I stayed the night.
Coming back to Parramos: I left the orphanage around 9:30am and the boat left a little after 11- this time the driver wanted to charge me Q30 and I told him 20, he said 25 but I told him I would not pay that-I was serious- so he let me on for 20!) We got to Panajachel around 11:45 and I decided to walk to the bus stop because I did not want to pay the Q5 for the tuk-tuk since it was such a short ride. By 12:30 I had paid the Q2 to use the bathroom (it is not free here), gotten some snacks to eat on the bus, gotten on the bus, and the bus started on it's way. I arrived in Chimaltenango around 3:00. I had to transfer busses, so I followed all the other Americans and got on a bus for Antigua (I thought that all the busses from Chimaltenango to Antigua would go through my town of Parramos). The bus started to pull away and I thought, Parramos is not this way, it is behind us and to the right. I quickly asked the driver if he was going to Parramos and he said NO! So I just jumped right off the bus! Then I went around the corner and got on the correct bus:) I got to Parramos around 3:30 and I started to walk home and while I was walking one of the boys came and met me. So I got home at 4 in the afternoon.
I have had 2 long days of traveling but it has been wonderful to meet new people and get to see more of Guatemala! And it prepares me for my day of traveling back to PR (in a little over 1 week:)
viernes, 27 de julio de 2012
Long overdue update! Days 47-58
I stayed at the school in the city from Monday through Friday. I got to help out in the preschool class and also take care of the babies:) It was a normal school and nothing really exciting happened.
On Friday I went to a town called Juitapa to help an American family in their ministry with deaf people there. The family has started a school for the deaf teens and adults in this community. Most of these people have never had the opportunity to go to school, so they are taught the basic subjects at about a 2nd or 3rd grade level. I got to teach the difference between addition and subtraction! This whole trip was AMAZING!
-To start off, the climate was comparable to Puerto Rico (not quite as hot, but close)!!!
-The first night I got there the family was eating chicken noodle soup for supper- I had been feeling a little sick, so this was wonderful:)
-Then, on Saturday morning we were driving to another town to give a class and on the way I SAW A FLAMBOYAN TREE!!!!! (In case you don't know what this is, it is my FAVORITE tree in PR and it is covered in really pretty flowers)
The family has a lot of kids (I think 8), but many are married or in college in the US, so they have 3 kids living with them in Guatemala. I really enjoyed playing games with the teenage boys. We played Risk (3 times!), a Rummy Tile game, and Othello!
The family's house is kind of like a bed and breakfast. They always have visitors around and they have a lot of extra bedrooms, so it works well. I got to meet a lot of deaf people from Gautemala and spend time with them, so I learned some Gautemalan Sign Language!
On Wednesday, I left the family's house at noon and traveled to the city then to a town named San Lucas. Some of their friends was going from Juitapa to San Lucas so I got to ride with them. They were all deaf, so I had about 3-4 hours of practicing only Sign Language- I loved it!!!
I left a suitcase of mine with another missionary family that I know in San Lucas (I will pick it up later) so that I could take the bus to my next stop in Guatemala.
From there, I took the chicken bus to Antigua. The bus was CROWDED some seats had 6 people in them (4 sitting and 2 kids on people's laps). Then there were people standing in the isles. We had some entertainment- a clown got on and started telling jokes. Once I got to Antigua, I went to McDonalds (just to sit in their patio). The McDonalds here is really nice- they have a patio with a fountain, so it was a relaxing place to pass the time.
Then I got on another chicken bus for a 3 minute ride to the church. At church, I met some of the kids and the "uncles" from the orphanage where I stayed in December:) After church I rode home with them!
So now for 10 days I am staying at the same place that I was in December/January! It has been really nice to see all the kids and to spend time with them again. They are all in school now, so in the evenings after homework is finished, we have time to play. Last night I played othello!
I am so thankful to be here with "my kids" but I really miss Puerto Rico, so I am looking forward to returning in less than 2 weeks!!!
*One last thing: On Wednesday as we were driving down the mountain to get from Jutiapa to the City, I thought I saw quenepas (my FAVORITE food/fruit from Puerto Rico). We were not able to stop because there was construction and there was no where to pull over, so I spent the next 3 hours looking for quenepas and I never found them. Once I got to Antigua, I was walking through the market and I FOUND QUENEPAS!!!! :)
So in one week I have: lived in a warm place, seen a Flamboyan Tree, and eaten quenepas:)
On Friday I went to a town called Juitapa to help an American family in their ministry with deaf people there. The family has started a school for the deaf teens and adults in this community. Most of these people have never had the opportunity to go to school, so they are taught the basic subjects at about a 2nd or 3rd grade level. I got to teach the difference between addition and subtraction! This whole trip was AMAZING!
-To start off, the climate was comparable to Puerto Rico (not quite as hot, but close)!!!
-The first night I got there the family was eating chicken noodle soup for supper- I had been feeling a little sick, so this was wonderful:)
-Then, on Saturday morning we were driving to another town to give a class and on the way I SAW A FLAMBOYAN TREE!!!!! (In case you don't know what this is, it is my FAVORITE tree in PR and it is covered in really pretty flowers)
The family has a lot of kids (I think 8), but many are married or in college in the US, so they have 3 kids living with them in Guatemala. I really enjoyed playing games with the teenage boys. We played Risk (3 times!), a Rummy Tile game, and Othello!
The family's house is kind of like a bed and breakfast. They always have visitors around and they have a lot of extra bedrooms, so it works well. I got to meet a lot of deaf people from Gautemala and spend time with them, so I learned some Gautemalan Sign Language!
On Wednesday, I left the family's house at noon and traveled to the city then to a town named San Lucas. Some of their friends was going from Juitapa to San Lucas so I got to ride with them. They were all deaf, so I had about 3-4 hours of practicing only Sign Language- I loved it!!!
I left a suitcase of mine with another missionary family that I know in San Lucas (I will pick it up later) so that I could take the bus to my next stop in Guatemala.
From there, I took the chicken bus to Antigua. The bus was CROWDED some seats had 6 people in them (4 sitting and 2 kids on people's laps). Then there were people standing in the isles. We had some entertainment- a clown got on and started telling jokes. Once I got to Antigua, I went to McDonalds (just to sit in their patio). The McDonalds here is really nice- they have a patio with a fountain, so it was a relaxing place to pass the time.
Then I got on another chicken bus for a 3 minute ride to the church. At church, I met some of the kids and the "uncles" from the orphanage where I stayed in December:) After church I rode home with them!
So now for 10 days I am staying at the same place that I was in December/January! It has been really nice to see all the kids and to spend time with them again. They are all in school now, so in the evenings after homework is finished, we have time to play. Last night I played othello!
I am so thankful to be here with "my kids" but I really miss Puerto Rico, so I am looking forward to returning in less than 2 weeks!!!
*One last thing: On Wednesday as we were driving down the mountain to get from Jutiapa to the City, I thought I saw quenepas (my FAVORITE food/fruit from Puerto Rico). We were not able to stop because there was construction and there was no where to pull over, so I spent the next 3 hours looking for quenepas and I never found them. Once I got to Antigua, I was walking through the market and I FOUND QUENEPAS!!!! :)
So in one week I have: lived in a warm place, seen a Flamboyan Tree, and eaten quenepas:)
lunes, 16 de julio de 2012
Guate(the city), Day 46
Today I finally met Betty and her friend Marta. I have been in contact through facebook and phone since about Easter time after I found out about their ministries through some mutual friends who had come to Guatemala.
Marta has a school/daycare for children through sixth grade. These kids live in a very poor part of the city right by a garbage dump. There are 190 kids who attend this school!
I spent my day helping the kids with their school work, playing with the kids, and holding the cuteist and littleist baby girl:)
It was tons of fun!
Marta has a school/daycare for children through sixth grade. These kids live in a very poor part of the city right by a garbage dump. There are 190 kids who attend this school!
I spent my day helping the kids with their school work, playing with the kids, and holding the cuteist and littleist baby girl:)
It was tons of fun!
Guate(VOH), Days 40-45
Sorry I haven't written about my time- I have been having too much fun to sit on the computer!
I arrived at Village of Hope on Wednesday morning and got right to work hand washing sheets, towels, pillowcases, etc in the outdoor pila. One of the electrical poles (or something like that) had caught on fire and so there was not any electricity. I thought it was kind of fun and thankfully the power came back on Thursday afternoon!
Thursday we woke up and took the rest(most) of the laundry to the laundromat. We figured that we would be washing by had for DAYS in order to finish, so this was a better option!
Friday was a relaxing day in Antigua. We went to the market and then ate at a mexican restaurant.
Saturday we cleaned out and painted the pantry cupboards then just relaxed around the house:)
Sunday was EXCITING! The two other "interns" and I left the home at 8:15 to begin our adventure to church. We started with a 45 minute walk to the bus stop in town. Then we got on the bus and made it to Antigua in about 1/2 hour. There was a running race going on in the town, so the roads were closed and we got off the bus and walked for about 20 minutes.
We got to church 45 minutes early!!!
Then after church we did all of this, just in reverse order. The only difference was that this time, the bus was FULL! We had 6 people sitting across the bus (3 in one seat, 1 in the aisle, and 2 in the smaller seat on the other side of the aisle). There were also people standing up, all the kids were sitting on people's lap, and it was PACKED FULL !!! But, it was a fun adventure:)
I arrived at Village of Hope on Wednesday morning and got right to work hand washing sheets, towels, pillowcases, etc in the outdoor pila. One of the electrical poles (or something like that) had caught on fire and so there was not any electricity. I thought it was kind of fun and thankfully the power came back on Thursday afternoon!
Thursday we woke up and took the rest(most) of the laundry to the laundromat. We figured that we would be washing by had for DAYS in order to finish, so this was a better option!
Friday was a relaxing day in Antigua. We went to the market and then ate at a mexican restaurant.
Saturday we cleaned out and painted the pantry cupboards then just relaxed around the house:)
Sunday was EXCITING! The two other "interns" and I left the home at 8:15 to begin our adventure to church. We started with a 45 minute walk to the bus stop in town. Then we got on the bus and made it to Antigua in about 1/2 hour. There was a running race going on in the town, so the roads were closed and we got off the bus and walked for about 20 minutes.
We got to church 45 minutes early!!!
Then after church we did all of this, just in reverse order. The only difference was that this time, the bus was FULL! We had 6 people sitting across the bus (3 in one seat, 1 in the aisle, and 2 in the smaller seat on the other side of the aisle). There were also people standing up, all the kids were sitting on people's lap, and it was PACKED FULL !!! But, it was a fun adventure:)
jueves, 12 de julio de 2012
Village of Hope- Guatemala
I arrived Wednesday morning at Village of Hope!(https://www.facebook.com/VillageOfHopeGuatemala)
Guate(POP), Days 35-40
Well, I stayed at Prince of Peace for 40 wonderful days (just in case you were wondering, this is how long it rained during the flood-hahaha)
Some of the highlights over the last week have been:
-Staying a few extra days:) When I showed up to church unexpected last Sunday, they celebrated by obligating me to translate the songs into Guatemalan Sign Language- it ended up being fun!
-Eating crepes with the psychologist and her mom:)
-Spending time with and taking CRAZY! pictures with the girls!
-I was also able to accompany the social worker and some girls on a (not so fun) adventure to the cemetery. This really helped me to experience the work that social workers do and I am soooooo thankful to Vilma for teaching me so much over the past several weeks- she is amazing!
On Wednesday morning, I was very sad to say good-bye to the wonderful girls and amazing staff at Prince of Peace:( But I am still praying for them and I am excited to write them letters!!
Some of the highlights over the last week have been:
-Staying a few extra days:) When I showed up to church unexpected last Sunday, they celebrated by obligating me to translate the songs into Guatemalan Sign Language- it ended up being fun!
-Eating crepes with the psychologist and her mom:)
-Spending time with and taking CRAZY! pictures with the girls!
-I was also able to accompany the social worker and some girls on a (not so fun) adventure to the cemetery. This really helped me to experience the work that social workers do and I am soooooo thankful to Vilma for teaching me so much over the past several weeks- she is amazing!
On Wednesday morning, I was very sad to say good-bye to the wonderful girls and amazing staff at Prince of Peace:( But I am still praying for them and I am excited to write them letters!!
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